Safety carrier



' J. P. LUCCI ET AL SAFETY CARRIER Jan. 2 1943.

Filed Sept. 2, 1941 2 Sheet's-Shet 1 I fled JV. Bead Jan. 26, 1943.

J. P. LUCCI ETAL 2,309,464

SAFETY CARR II EIR F iled Sept. 2, 1941 ZSheets-Shet 2 Jase v}; F 1100; @wmnzwm Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY CARRIER Joseph P. Lucci and Fred M. Reed, Wooster, Ohio Application September 2, 1941, Serial No. 409,265

'7 Claims.

The invention relates generally to carriers for lifting and transporting injured, disabled or unconscious persons, and more particularly to a carrier which enables the safe and speedy transportation of such persons while affording them complete protection.

Prior to our invention, various kinds of stretchers have been proposed but all of these have been adapted to handle special cases of one kind or another, and have had numerous disadvantages which render them unsatisfactory for use as an all purpose carrier. For example, certain prior stretchers are satisfactory for handling injured or fractured cases, but afford no protection from shock or exposure, while others afiord no protection from bumps or falling objects.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a safety carrier which is adapted for rescue and life saving work at fires, disasters, casualties, and all kinds of accidents.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a carrier which protects an injured or disabled person from striking or bumping into stationary objects while being transported, and from falling debris and live wires.

Another object is to provide a carrier which affords a warm covering for the subject so as to treat him for shock, and to protect him from exposure to the elements.

Another object is to provide a carrier which holds injured and broken parts of the body in proper position, and which prevents harm to such injured parts due to unnecessary twisting or jarring.

Another object is to provide a carrier which supports and protects the subject in such a way as to permit lowering him from a building, ship or the like, horizontally (sling style) or feet first (toboggan style) down a ladder or fire escape, and permits hoisting him head first or sling style out of mines or pits.

Another object is to provide a carrier which can be used to transport a subject without injury through narrow passages, around sharp corners and up or down stairs.

Another object is to provide a carrier which can be used as a first aid platform or table at fires, accidents and the like.

Another object is to provide a carrier which is adapted to be used without modification as a straight jacket.

And finally, it is a further object of the invention to provide a novel safety carrier which accomplishes all of the foregoing objects, which accommodates itself to difierent sizes of persons, and which is light in weight and can be collapsed into an extremely small space when not in use.

These and other objects are accomplished by the parts, arrangements, combinations and subcombinations comprising the present invention, which is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described and defined in the appended claims.

In general terms, the invention includes a bed portion which is inflexible longitudinally and flexible laterally, to permit collapsing into a small space when not in use, and to form in use a substantially rigid tube engirdling the subject, there being a pliable sheet detachably secured to the inner side of said bed portion for folding over and covering the subject, and straps on said sheet and bed portion for supporting the subject within the sheet and on and within the bed portion in such a way as to hold and protect injured parts from twisting and to substantially envelop and protect the subject from bumps, exposure and falling objects.

These objects are preferably attained by the appliances illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure l is a perspective view showing a person enclosed in the carrier, with the appliances partly opened and broken away to illustrate interior details;

Fig. 2 is a separate view of the pliable sheet opened to show details of the straps and other connecting devices;

Fig. 3 is an underside view of the upper end portion of the pliable sheet attached to the upper end of the bed portion;

Fig. t is an end view of the stretcher bed reversely rolled into a relatively small bundle;

Fig. 5 is an underside view of the stretcher bed in open or flat position;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the stretcher bed curled laterally to form a substantially rigid enveloping tube or case;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 8 is a lower end view of the same;

Fig. 9 is a cross section on line 9-9, Fig. 5, showing the stretcher bed in open or fiat position;

Fig. 10 is a cross section of one of the side slats; Fig. 11 is a cross section of one of the middle slats; and

Fig. 12 is a side view of the lower end of one of the slats.

Similar numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The stretcher bed, designated generally by A,

is preferably made of a plurality of substantially inflexible slats la and lb which may be about two inches by three-eighths inches in section, made of wood or other strong material, which are assembled side by side and secured together on the underside by a plurality of transverse straps 2, 2a and 22) secured to the slats as by rivets 2. Some of the straps 2 are extended beyond the sides of the assembled slats and are provided with buckles and perforations and the like on their ends for securing the stretcher bed when curled or enveloped around a person, as B.

A considerable number of the middle slats in; are slightly beveled upward on the side edges lc at an angle of about 1%, so that these slats can be flexed laterally upward within the securing straps into a slight curve to conform to the lateral curvature of the back of the body of the person to be carried.

The other slats lb at each side of the middle slats are beveled upward on the side edges id at a greater angle of about 7, so that these side slats can be flexed laterally upward within the securing straps into a sharper curve to extend around and over the sides of the person. In this manner, the edge slats will meet or come close together and will form a substantially rigid tube for completely surrounding the body of a person.

Some of the straps 2a are provided with handles 20 for carrying the appliances with a person enveloped therein, and the lower ends of the slats are beveled or curved on the underside, as at 'le, like a sled runner, so that the carrier can slide downward upon a ladder or an inclined surface without being bumped by slight projections thereon.

A pair of longitudinal carrier straps 3 are secured to the slats as by rivets upon the underside of the stretcher bed, and are preferably spaced apart at the lower end and converged together at the upper end of the bed where they are connected with a key ring 4 for supporting and suspending the bed in an inclined or upright position in case of need.

The pliable sheet, designated generally at C, is preferably made of canvas or other flexible fabric or material, some thirteen feet long and about three feet wide. fire upper under portion 5 of the sheet extends downward from the top of the carrier underneath the body of a person, and the other portion 5a of the sheet is'folded upward and around the feet and then extended upward over a person to or nearly to the upper end of the body, thus forming what may be referred to as an open sided sack.

The upper end of the sheet is provided with an under fold 5b and a strong tape 5c is secured across its folded end, which tape is extended upward and around and is secured to each side of the sheet, as shown at So. This folded end of the sheet forms a pocket 5d which is slipped over and upon the upper end a of the bed A for securing and suspending the sheet thereon when in use.

A transverse strap 6 is attached, as by sewing, upon and across the under portion of the sheet, and is extended from the sides with a buckle Go on and apertures 6b in its ends, for wrapping and securing the sheet around the torso of the body when the sheet is folded as a cover upward upon and over the same. A similar strap 6c is fastened to the lower end of the under portion of the sheet for wrapping around the portion of the sheet which covers the legs of the body.

An apron 1 is attached at one end to the transverse strap 6 by the depending straps 8. This apron is used for extending upward between the legs through and upward around the crotch of a body and is provided with a V strap 9 with a ring I0 on its other end. Another V strap II is attached at one end to one side of the upper portion of the sheet and may be passed over the torso through the ring In and secured by a buckle I2 attached at the other side of the upper end of the sheet, for supporting the body in the open sided sack. The V strap Il may be passed over the shoulders of the body for holding the torso in proper position.

The free end 5a of the sheet is provided with means, as the straps i3, for drawing and securely fastening the sheet upward and over the person, as by means of buckles l4 attached to the upper end of the sheet; and the free end 50, of the sheet may be cut, as at I5 to fit around the neck and over the shoulders of the torso.

For the purpose of holding a broken leg in extended position, a slip noose strap 16 may be engaged around the ankle and passed through a slot in the folded lower end of the sheet, for engagement with a buckle ll attached to the lower end of the bed.

And for the purpose of holding a broken neck in proper position, a strap l3 may be attached to the upper end of the bed, and passed around the neck under the chin, and engaged with a buckle I9, attached to the upper end of the bed adjacent the attached end of the strap.

By these means an injured, disabled, or unconscious person may be completely enveloped and secured in the pliable sheet, either before or after the sheet is engaged with the upper end of the stretcher bed; and when the sheet, with the body secured therein, is engaged with the upper end of the stretcher bed, the same can be curled and strapped around the enveloped body as a substantially rigid tube, within which the body can be carried or conveyed in various positions, without injury frommovement within the carrier or from external contacts or impingements.

We claim:

1. A safety carrier for transporting injured and disabled persons including a stretcher bed having longitudinally extending slats hinged together laterally, said sla'ts having their adjoining edges beveled for abutting each other when the stretcher bed is curled laterally to provide a slightly curved bottom bed portion and sharply curved sides terminating in a slightly curved top portion, a pliable sheet detachably secured to said bed portion for extending beneath and folding over and covering the subject, and straps secured on said sheet and said stretcher bed for holding and supporting said subject within said sheet and on and within said stretcher bed in curled form so as to prevent injured parts from being twisted and to substantially envelop and protect said subject from extraneous bumps and 2. A safety carrier for transporting injured and disabled persons including a longitudinally inflexible laterally flexible stretcher bed so constructed and arranged that when curled laterally it forms a substantially rigid tube having a slightly curved bed portion and sharply curved sides terminating in a slightly curved top portion, a pliable sheet detachably secured to said bed portion for extending beneath and folding over and covering the subject, and straps secured on said sheet and said stretcher bed for holding and supporting said subject within said sheet and on and within said stretcher bed in curled form so as to prevent injured parts from being twisted and to substantially envelop and protect said subject from extraneous bumps and exposure.

3. A safety carrier for transporting injured and disabled persons including a longitudinally inflexible laterally flexible stretcher bed so constructed and arranged that when curled laterally it forms a substantially rigid tube of substantially elliptical cross section, a pliable sheet detachably secured to said bed portion for extending beneath and folding over and covering the subject, and straps secured on said sheet and said stretcher bed for holding and supporting said subject within said sheet and on and within said stretcher bed in curled form so as to prevent injured parts from being twisted and to substantially envelop and protect said subject from extraneous bumps and exposure.

4. A safety carrier for transporting injured and disabled persons including a longitudinally inflexible laterally flexible stretcher bed so constructed and arranged that when curled laterally it forms a substantially rigid tube, a pliable sheet detachably secured to said bed portion for extending beneath and folding over and covering the subject, and straps secured on said sheet and said stretcher bed for holding and supporting said subject within said sheet and on and within said stretcher bed in curled form so as to prevent injured parts from being twisted and to substantially envelop and protect said subject from extraneous bumps and exposure.

5. A safety carrier for transporting injured and disabled persons including a stretcher bed having longitudinally extending slats hinged together laterally, said slats having their adjoining edges beveled for abutting each other when the stretcher bed is curled laterally to provide a substantially rigid tube having a slightly curved bottom bed portion and sharply curved sides terminating in a slightly curved top portion, and means for supporting a subject within said stretcher bed in laterally curled condition.

6. A safety carrier for transporting injured and disabled persons including a longitudinally inflexible laterally flexible stretcher bed formed of slats so constructed and arranged that when curled laterally in one direction the bed forms a substantially rigid tube adapted for engirdling and protecting a subject, and when curled laterally in the opposite direction it collapses into a small space, and means for strapping and supporting said subject within said rigid tube and for strapping said stretcher bed in collapsed condition.

7. In a safety carrier for transporting injured and disabled persons, a stretcher bed having longitudinally extending slats hinged together laterally, said slats having their adjoining edges beveled for abutting each other when the stretcher bed is curled laterally in one direction to provide a substantially rigid tube having a slightly curved bottom bed portion and sharply curved sides terminating in a slightly curved top portion, said slats being adapted to fold into a small space when the stretcher bed is curled laterally in the opposite direction.

JOSEPH P. LUCCI.

F D R ED. 

